Audio CD review:
Roy Harper - Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion

Roy Harper - Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion

Band: Roy Harper Title: Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion Rating: Release Date: 1998-09-15 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Commune 2: Don't You Grieve 3: Twelve Hours of Sunset 4: Kangaroo Blues 5: All Ireland 6: Me and My Woman 7: South Africa 8: Highway Blues 9: One Man Rock & Roll Band 10: Another Day 11: M.C.P. Blues

one man rock 'n roll band i don't remember how i stumbled onto roy harper back in the early 70's. . . probably from the reference to him on led zeppelin III ("hats off to harper"), but he's been one of my favorite obsessions ever since that time. this release and the amazing STORMCOCK capture him at the top of his game. this particular release showcases his talents in live settings. you can truly almost feel the "magic" that must have been in the air at these shows. his guitar rings, his voice soars and sails, and the excitement and intricacy of the songs' arrangements are undeniable. the outrageous harmonies present on his studio albums are obviously missing, but he somehow compensates for their absence with the sheer intensity of the performances. the names of contributing musicians (almost all of the songs are performed solo) are missing from the liner notes, but one easily assumes that the various players are some of the famous friends that often accompanied him on his other releases (particularly jimmy page). in addition to this excellent live recording, i recommend the afore-mentioned STORMCOCK, BULLINAMINGVASE, and WHEN AN OLD CRICKETEER LEAVES THE CREASE. it will always be a mystery to me why he didn't become more widely known in america. his vocal contribution to pink floyd's "have a cigar" should, in itself, have guaranteed that. but those of us who did seek him out found ourselves a true treasure. sometimes, nothing else will do. . . i have to have my roy harper, and "flashes from the archives of oblivion" is the one i go to most often. . Yikes! It was my first into to Roy roughlya year and a half ago. An extremely intense album. Picked it up in the import sale section of myindie. Still have a helluva time getting past 'Me And My Woman' tho, as it leaves me breathless. And 'Commune' is the perfect opening. But this record. The slide gutar by Jimmy Page on the last song of this record is awesome. Good old Roy, here at his best with some brilliant appearences from his many friends in the industry. If you are in any way a fan of singer songwriters then this record is a must as it showcases the best of the era and proves that fame and fortune are not related to talent. May Roy keep on smokin' for years to come. The patron saint of Pink Floyd, Led Zep, and Jetrho Tull Roy Harper was definately somebody. You're definately somebody when MaCartney, Jimmy Page, Ian Anderson, David Gilmour, and many others of the same caliber join you on your albums. Of all the constellation of truly major artistes in the 70's, he's the one who didn't make it. Too idyosincratic, abrasive, complex, insightful, what-have-you, perhaps. Two things characterize his best music, however: a true genius for melody, sometimes rivalling even classical composers although armed only with an acoustic guitar, and secondly, a soaring, multi-ranged voice that anyone would sell his/her soul for. "Archives" is a fine collection, but the musts are "Stormcock", "Bullinaminvase", "When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease", and "Whatever Happened to Jugula". If you don't know his work and yearn for the quality of the aforementioned accompanying artists, this is your ticket to paradise (albeit a troubled one!). Roy isn't always great, obviously, but when he is, as on the above titles, all others leave much to be desired. Truly. Some of Harper's best in a live setting -- excellent As I sat on the floor (we all did, at his polite request) and listened to "Commune" and "One Man Rock and Roll Band" and a host of other new and old songs, two ideas hit me (making the moment, and my memory of the entire evening since, resonate with a special pleasure): (1) Here I was witnessing a great songwriter give us a few hours of his time, and I had never thought I'd get to see Roy at all, and (2) I was fortunate enough to be with a friend who'd been in attendence at some of the concerts chronicled in "Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion. Recently, I was fortunate to actually see the rarely seen (in America) Roy Harper perform live to a handful of people in San Francisco at Bottom of the Hill. " The show I saw was vintage Harper in every sense. The only thing that compares to an event/experience like that is a live album. . . Listening to Flashes, recorded in the early '70s with a little help from Harper's rock royalty friends, one hears some of Harper's best songs performed in their most ideal state: before a live, INTERACTING audience. Commune, Don't You Grieve, Male Chauvanist Pig Blues, 12 Hours of Sunset, these songs are expertly recorded, wonderfully performed with intense emotional pitch. The middle part of the journey, One Man Rock and Roll Band etc. , is a tour de force through Harper's multi-layered sound experimentation -- acoustic guitars, echoing laughter, stories about boarding school, etc etc. This one must not be missed. The diligent will look for the now very healthy Harper making concert appearances in places he hasn't appeared since the '70s. Look out!. You can see a complete list of all Roy Harper discography, or go back to the Roy Harper tabs